The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-04-30

, the prisoner out on bail. kissant
} business community because of tht
skill and ingenuity displayed. HI
was arrested for the crime, but wher
at Hornellsville, while EN- route tc
! New York in charge Of an officer
he escaped by jumping from train
} through the window of a closet.
He then disappeared for several
months, but i: subsequently trans.
pired that he had sought shelter al
Buffalo with the former barkeeper
of the Martha Washington. He
installed Kissane under the name
of Lynch with a farmer named
Sparrows, who lived fifteen miles
out of town. He stayed here three
or four months assisting in farm
work, raising bills by the cutting
and pasting process, and uttering
counterfeit money. While stop
ping here according to testimony
in these cases) he induced the bar
keeper to carry a letter for him to
his brother Reuben B. Kissane
(now Reuben H. Lloyd, of this city,
wealthy and respected) at Cincin-
natl, and in response the brother
sent back bottle of magnesia in
which was secreted Sc, 800 in Chem
ical bank bills of $500 each,
part of the proceeds of the forgery
on that institution. This bottle
Bill Kissane gave to the farmers
wife, asking her to preserve it care
fully until called for in case any
thing occurred to him. Something
did occur shortly, for the farmer
was arrested for passing counterfeit
money, and his wife informed the
officers that Lynch had given it to
him. Lynch, alias Bill Kissane,
was accordingly gathered in and
the bottle being opened at the re-
quest of Mrs. Sparrows, his identity
was established. He was accord
ingly taken to New York, the feat
being successfully accomplished by
Handwriting him to an officer before
starting, and putting the key in the
bank teller's pocket. Here he was
convicted of the Chemical bank
forgery, the jury being out only
ten minutes. The willy Bill, how
ever, pleaded the baby act in bril-
liant speech that brought tears to
every eye and brought forth tre-
mendous applause. The judge, who
had fully determined to give him
six years, the full extent of the law,
was so impressed that he made it
two years and nine months. This
was on March %, 1855. On De-
cember 8 of the same year, he was
pardoned by the governor of New
York after having made a full writ
ten confession and on his solemn
promise to give the benefit of evil
dence which was necessary to con-
vict other members of the infamous
gang, with which he had been asso-
ciated. This confession is still in
existence.
Kissane, however, knew that the
members of the gang would proba
bly, assasinate him, and again skip
ped, not being heard of again until
his death under an assumed name
at Nicaragua, under Walker, was
reported. The account was so cir
cumstantial that it was generally
accepted as correct, but there was
at least one man who was not de-
ceived, as he recognized the daring
Kissane at the st. Charles hotel
even while his death was still the
talk of the country.
In 1857, Kissane came to Cali
fornia, arriving in San Francisco
in June. Bill Kissane at once re-
ported at the house at 1910 Folsom
street, where his two brothers
known to their friends as Reuben
Lloyd and Henry Kissane-have
lived for over thirty years. Bill
then went to the Fraser river, under
the name of Rogers, and mined
successfully. Returning, he engaged
in merchandising in San Francisco
and Sacramento where many of his
transactions were regarded as sus-
picious and questionable.
He subsequently went to Washoe
and while in partnership with Girls
sim and Henderson is said to have
amassed 100000. In 1868 he pur-
chased his Sonoma property which
is now worth 100000 or 100000
and on which he has since lived.
Although neither a naturalized nor
a native citizen he had himself
placed Oh the Great Register, taking
solemn oath that he was a native
of Kentucky. He was supervisor
of the county from 1874 to 1878
but resigned in the latter year be-
cause of some alleged crookedness
in the Office.
Some two years ago, General Darr,
who had never relinquished the
hope of finding him, suddenly saw
the Kissane of his youth, while
paying an accidental visit at the
railroad offices. Although he had
not seen his quarry for nearly thirty
years, the general without a mo-
-